The Herbal Remedy

It is said that every one in ten people suffer from some sort of back problem at some time or another; it is one of the most common types of problem that sends us to the doctor and the hospital. Back pain can vary from person to person in the area the pain is felt in and there are many different types of back pain and problems with the back. However, there is one form of medicine that is great for those who suffer from back pain and which many can find a great deal of relief in where other forms of medicine have failed. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to help deal with many problems and one of the problems it is known to have great success with is problems relating to the back.

In the Chinese language, oolong means “black dragon”. It is actually a tea plant. When you pour hot water over oolong leaves, the “black dragon” wakes up, so to speak, and, once properly brewed, gives you oolong tea. It tastes more like green tea than like black tea, although it has a delicate flavor of its own. The most common brew has an initial strong and bitter taste, but as you finish drinking, it leaves a kind of faint, sweet taste in the end. Most Chinese restaurants serve oolong tea along with Chinese food.

You have surely heard of opposites. Black and white, night and day, light and dark, pleasure and pain, wealth and poverty and similar innumerable pairs come to mind as opposites. Yin and yang represent, according to ancient Chinese philosophy, two opposing aspects of this entire universe as well as of human life, but with a difference. They not only oppose but also complement each other. Simply put, life is impossible without yin and yang at once opposing and complementing each other on a perennial basis. Yin is feminine, yang is masculine; yin is passive, yang active; yin is death, yang life and so on. If yin is thought to be receptive, cold, winter, moon, night, water, and even, then yang opposes and complements them by being creative, hot, summer, sun, day, fire and odd. They represent the essential parts of a duality. That only means that without either of them, the duality does not, and cannot, exist.

While most of us dread the thought of having a needle sometimes they can be very beneficial, especially when the needles are those used in traditional Chinese medicine by way of acupuncture.

Acupuncture is one part of a complete health care system that the Chinese have used and relied on for over 2,000 years. It can be used alone or in combination with herbal remedies and massage therapy.

The basis of acupuncture

Tai chi quang (also spelled as Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan) is one of the many popular martial arts. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese practice it regularly for fitness, good health and longevity. It improves blood circulation as well as of cosmic energy or Qi (or Chi), in which the Chinese place their trust for attaining sound health, both physical and mental.  Most Chinese practitioners will also affirm that it develops or aids the cultivation of the spirit.

The Chinese word, lingzhi, which means “the mushroom of immortality” or “the herb of spiritual potency”, is the name they gave to a particular mushroom, eons ago. The Japanese call the herb ‘reishi’, the Koreans ‘keonji’ and the biologists Ganoderma Lucidum. It has many other names in the different regions of Asia as well. It is actually a miracle fungus, from which scientists have isolated several ingredients. To mention only a few of them, there are polysaccharides, terpenes, triterpenes or ganoderic acid, organic germanium, in addition to many other bioactive components. They have found these to alleviate or relieve the pain and suffering that human beings experience due to a number of diverse ailments.

Dong quai is an ancient Chinese herbal remedy that people have used as a spice, tonic as well as for medicinal purposes. It has been used for over a thousand years and is reputed to cure a wide variety of different ailments and ills. Some of its most common uses have been in relieving constipation, treating anemia by helping to raise the red blood count and has also proven to be very effective when it comes to problems associated with menstrual disorders.

Bitter melon or momordica charantia as it is correctly named is a climbing vine that has green leaves and fruits that are very bitter. However, it is the bitter fruit and leaves that has been used and taken advantage of due to their medicinal properties.

Uses of bitter melon

Bitter melon has been used with positive results to treat numerous diseases including cancer, diabetes and many other infectious and potentially dangerous diseases. Since HIV and AIDS came into the spotlight, bitter melon has been used to fight these diseases, as well as being an herb widely used in Chinese medicine. The Chinese regard it as a popular form of vegetable. It is also a very popular remedy when used as an herbal tea.

Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM as its many followers call it is a large health care system that consists of Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, dietary advice and exercise. TCM is so unlike the health care system that we Westerners are used to; the underlying principle of TCM is to bring back balance to the “Chi”.

The “Chi” is said to flow throughout the body when we are healthy through what are called Meridian channels, however sometimes these channels can become blocked and the “Chi” cannot flow and this is when symptoms of illness begin to show.

Although there is more than one school of thought regarding traditional Chinese massage, the essential message is the same. Traditional Chinese Massage, sometimes known as Tuina, focuses on your achieving balance for your flow of chi, or life energy. Overall, traditional Chinese massage is one of the best holistic treatments available today. There is no need to worry about allergies to needles used in acupuncture or to the herbs used in herbal remedies.

The meridian system